But he warned: “With ministers saying last week that the limited investment will need to be targeted – meaning rural areas could receive a tenth that cities get – we fear the ambition to make cycling and walking the norm may not reach the English countryside.

“As is rightly recognised, it is critical that the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy is cross-departmental. Building in continental levels of cycling and walking into new housing is vital if we are to be fit for the future. Moves by the Department for Communities and Local Government to deliver more housing need to encourage builders to ‘cycle-proof’ new homes and communities. To ignore that would be a false economy.”